


Tasting freedom in the lilac garden

by jack_the_ripper



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Insecurity, M/M, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2019-07-28 04:33:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16234289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jack_the_ripper/pseuds/jack_the_ripper
Summary: Naruto is immediately enamored with the beauty that is Hyuuga Neji. He wants to get to know the other boy who in turn seems to be trying really hard to keep the blonde boy at distance. Naruto is persistent though and doesn't even realize the whirlwinds he kicks lose in Neji's mind.A pure getting to know yourself and your sexuality story with not so innocent smut later on. I needed to write this because there is way too little Neji fanfiction out there. It will probably contain a lot of cliché moments. Enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

Neji. The pure image of sophistication and elegance. Endlessly long, shiny, dark brown hair that looked as soft as silk. Combined with his pale, clear skin and his pastel lilac eyes that regarded everyone with an arrogant condescending stare – if he deemed you important enough to be looked upon at all – he looked like nobility personified. 

Naruto had been enamored with Neji's looks at first sight. That had soon turned into feelings of confusion and anger though when the brown-haired boy plainly ignored him when Naruto tried talking to him. It was the kind of ignorance where the other person just walks past you without even looking at you or acknowledging that you were there at all, almost like they are deliberately ignoring you to make you feel bad.   
Naruto with his loud and cheerful personality wasn't used to being ignored and it bothered him a lot that the other boy was so rude, but he didn't let himself be stopped by that, if anything it made him more obsessed with getting to know the other and he made it his personal mission to get Neji to acknowledge him. So he tried to attract Neji's attention in every possible way. It included bad pickup-lines like “Hey, Neji, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” as well as forcing himself into the same groups as the long-haired boy at school or “accidentally” calling him on his mobile phone – Naruto had gotten the number from his good friend Rock Lee who couldn't help, but laugh a little at the situation of Neji being pursued by his blonde friend. Not that Neji ever picked up the phone. He had to make do with being in the same group as the blonde though since he had grades to maintain and couldn't exactly make a fuss about it. So he simply divided the topic into several parts and took one while he dumped the rest onto the other group members. Nobody would have contradicted the way he handled the situation though because on one hand he was considered a genius which meant they trusted him to a certain extent to make good decisions and on the other hand most people were kinda scared of him.   
Naruto who usually neglected his school work was actually motivated to do something for once because he didn't want to disappoint Neji and he trusted that he'd get a good grade if he followed the taller boy's instructions.

When asked by his childhood friend Sakura why he even tried so hard to be closer to Neji he couldn't give her a proper answer. He thought about it that night in bed and came to the conclusion that he wanted to take revenge for the way the brown-haired had treated him. And, he supposed, if he could get to know the other boy better while he was at it he wouldn't complain. 

There was no progress to be spoken of throughout the whole school year though. While others might have been discouraged it only made Naruto feel that he hadn't tried hard enough, that he hadn't given it his all yet. “Next year! I will get him to notice me for sure!”, he drunkenly told his best friend Sasuke one evening who only rolled his eyes, but responded with an “Of course, Naruto”. 

Naruto spent his summer holidays trying to figure out how to get through to Neji. Oh, and there was also a lot of drinking involved which resulted in Naruto trying to call Neji and – because that didn't work – texting him random messages. 

It happened one morning after a really long night that had been filled with a lot of alcohol because it was Kiba's birthday that the whole house was awoken from its slumber by a loud excited scream of Naruto's who – inexplicably – always woke up at 7 am no matter what had happened the day before. Sakura was the only one in the mood to deal with whatever it was that had made Naruto this agitated. She knocked on and then carefully opened the door to the room her friend was staying in. There she was greeted with the sight of a widely grinning Naruto who had pressed his hands and what was apparently his mobile phone to his chest.   
“Everything okay, Naruto? You woke up all of us and probably the rest of the neighborhood with your -” “He answered, Sakura!”, Naruto exclaimed in the happiest tone of voice Sakura had ever heard him use. “Who are you talking-”, she started to ask, but wanted to scold herself almost immediately afterwards for there was only one person's response that Naruto awaited. “Did Neji-?!”   
“Yes, he did! This is the best day of my life!” Now Sakura was starting to get excited as well. “Show me, show me, what did he write?” She sat down on the bed next to her friend, not minding that he only wore a pair of boxers. He held the phone out for her to read. 

Naruto: We're currently passing your house, come out if you wanna join!

Heya, hot stuff, you're really missing here :(

Wanna … CUM over?

Sakura threw a look in Naruto's direction that could only be described as a mixture of disappointment and amusement at the bad pun he'd put in the last message. He only urged her to continue reading though. “This better be worth it”, she said, faking an irritated tone of voice and redirected her eyes onto the display. 

The last message had been written a few minutes ago and seemed to have come from Neji.

Neji: This is getting really annoying, my phone is constantly vibrating. Please refrain from continuing this or I'll have to block your number. 

Sakura's first thought was that it was a miracle in itself that Naruto hadn't been blocked yet. Warning Naruto seemed almost – dare she think it – nice. Maybe Neji wasn't as averse to getting to know Naruto as he always made it seem. 

“Naruto, this is great, I'm happy for you!”, she said, “Just be careful not to annoy him too much or he might actually block you.” The blonde still smiled and nodded. He wasn't stupid after all, he didn't want to waste this opportunity that was offering itself up here. 

After this pioneering event Naruto managed to enjoy the rest of his holidays to the fullest without spending every minute thinking about Neji.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the first chapters are so short, I'm just having a great idea what to do with the story and have to push it in the right direction ^^ if there are any mistakes, please let me know!

The first time he saw the brunette again was when school came back around. In Naruto's eyes the other boy had only become more beautiful over the holidays and he told himself that this year he would finally manage to get the other to acknowledge him in person.  
The opportunity arose in biology. They had to work together in groups of two and since none of Naruto's friends were there that would be mad at him for ditching them he decided to join Neji who sat a couple desks in front of him. 

“So, will you guys be able to find a partner on your own or do I have to decide for you?”, the teacher asked jokingly which caused everyone to stand up and move to their desired partner. Of course Naruto didn't waste a second and sat down next Neji. “Hey, Neji, let's be partners!”, Naruto said, grinning at the other boy. To his big surprise Neji slowly turned towards him, anger apparent in his almost colorless eyes. Seeing as everyone else had a partner though and that Tenten, one of his only friends and the one he usually partnered up with, wasn't there, the teenager didn't have much of a choice. He sighed exasperatedly. “Fine. You're not leaving me alone anyway, are you?”, he said, his voice deep and irritated. Naruto watched him, stunned into silence for a few seconds. He hadn't expected the dark-haired boy to acknowledge him in any way, much less to actually talk to him. “I'm afraid not!”, he answered happily. This day was awesome already! He'd have to tell Sasuke, Sakura and the others about it later. The Hyuuga sighed once more. “Let's get this over with then.”

They didn't talk anymore during the lesson – not that Naruto didn't try, but the blonde already considered the whole situation a complete success and felt as though he was a lot closer to his goal already. Which was … yeah, what was it again? Ah, yes, take revenge on Neji for being rude to him and everyone else. Nevermind how good that bastard looked or that he smelled heavenly like freshly washed clothes and lilac. No, Naruto was not going to let that deter him from his original goal!

“Sasuke, he actually talked to me!” Naruto was walking home after school with Sakura and Sasuke and already telling them about the progress he made that day. “Yeah, probably to tell you to leave him alone, just like in that message he sent you”, Sasuke said evilly, smirking. “Oi, Sasuke! He told me that we could work together on the biology project”, Naruto answered sulkily. Sakura apologetically pet his head. “Don't take it too seriously, you know Sasuke's just messing with you, it's great that Neji talked to you!” Naruto reverted back to his happy self immediately. “I know, today is the most awesomest day! I'll pay for whatever you guys want for lunch!”  
Choji who was walking a few feet ahead with Shikamaru and Kiba turned around at the sound of those words. “Naruto? We're good friends right?” “Ahh, I'll pay for you lot as well”, Naruto replied with a roll of his eyes, knowing he wouldn't win an argument against his food-loving friend anyway. 

The six of them decided to eat pizza at their favorite restaurant. While they waited for the food to be done, they chatted about their holidays. “So, Naruto, as I heard a certain someone has finally decided to reward you with a little bit of his attention”, Kiba teased the blonde boy. Naruto only grinned though. “Yes, he did, he talked to me for the first time today.” “You know if you wanna get closer to him, you might have a chance when we leave for our class trip next week.” “That's next week already?!”, Naruto asked. He had completely forgotten about the annual trip that everyone in their grade came along for. “One week, with no planned activities and lots of alcohol, that will make even Mr. Pretty-Hair loosen up a little and who knows what might happen?” Kiba winked suggestively at Naruto who just rolled his eyes in mock-annoyance.  
“No, seriously, Naruto, this might be a good opportunity to get to know Neji better”, Sakura said softly. “Yeah, I know, I know. Oh, the food is here, guys!”


	3. Chapter 3

The night before the trip Naruto couldn't really sleep. He was excited for it even if he wouldn't make any progress with Neji. The year prior had been the first time they had been allowed to go along on the trip and the blonde hadn't been able to go because he got sick. This year it would be awesome if anything that his friends told him about it was true at all. There were no special activities planned for the trip was meant as a vacation to get to know the others better and create a more relaxed relationship with each other so that the following school year would be approached with a less stressed mindset. The teachers didn't really care what you did as long as it wasn't illegal, didn't harm anyone and didn't bother them. Naruto could only hope that Neji would be more approachable in the different environment.   
The bus arrived early in the morning and the drive took about four hours. The hostel they were staying at was located near a big lake. The rooms could harbor six persons each, but since Sakura wasn't allowed to join her male friends they had to look for one more person to join them. “I'm gonna ask Lee”, said Shikamaru, but stopped in his tracks immediately upon seeing Lee join Gaara and his friends.   
“Hey, guys!” It was Iruka, their history teacher. “Are you still looking for someone to join you?” He was followed by an all too familiar brown-haired boy. “Neji here would like to join you if possible.” The teacher smiled, unaware of the pale eyes that bore disinterestedly and angrily into his back and displayed his unwillingness to be part of the group. “I mean technically we are six guys”, Kiba said, looking at his dog. Shikamaru threw an exasperated look at Kiba and then at Naruto who was already grinning excitedly. Then he sighed and nodded. “Sure, Sensei, we'll take 'im with us.” Turning to Neji he added: “It's only about having a room to sleep in anyways.” Neji ignored him, but Naruto thought he saw the smallest shadow of agreement flicker over the brunette's face.

The room was divided into a bathroom, a balcony leading into a small garden – they had been assigned the room so Kiba could let out Akamaru at night – and two bedrooms. One was bigger containing four beds and the door to the balcony, the other which was separated by another door contained two beds. Shikamaru and Kiba immediately took the two beds that were closest to the balcony while Sasuke sat down on the bed closest to the wall to prevent anyone from sneaking up on him which – to his defense – had happened before while staying in a room with his friends. Choji winked at Naruto as he sat down on the last bed in the room before releasing a sigh of pleasure. “Seems that you two will have to take the beds in the other room”, he said, not even pretending to be sly about it.

Neji didn't pay any attention to Naruto while the two unpacked their suitcases in the smaller room. The blonde was also lost in his own thoughts. Why was this suddenly working out so well for him? He felt like a character in a gay romance story. Well, nothing to be done about it, he thought and closed his now empty suitcase.


	4. Chapter 4, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will finally be a little slower and longer than the others. Hope you like it!
> 
> Let me know if you find any mistakes or if you have any suggestions regarding the story!

The sun was slowly setting and painted the landscape in a warm red light. Naruto had sat down on the biggest stone in the middle of the river leading to the big lake close to their hostel and closed his eyes, listening to the nature's sounds around him. The waterfall behind him provided a soft background noise of rough stone being run over by cold, clear water. The flow of the river conveyed a feeling of solemnity that reminded the blonde boy of big, pale eyes and shiny waves of long, maroon hair. Naruto reopened his eyes taking in his beautiful surroundings. They fell onto a large lilac with light purple blossoms. It radiated an aura of pure innocence.  
“Ah, I should really join the others”, Naruto said to himself, tearing his gaze from the plant that reminded him of Neji so much, saving it in his brain to revisit at a later time. 

Sakura greeted Naruto with a broad smile and pushed a bottle into his hands. “Nice of you to finally show up, we're playing spin the bottle!” She was a little drunk. Naruto could tell by the way her cheeks emitted a soft rose glow and the way she seemed more open to show her teeth while smiling. “Yeah, of course you're playing spin the bottle”, Naruto said, rolling his eyes, but sat down. Sasuke glared at him. “Naruto, may I remind you that it's usually you who suggests this game?”, he said sharply, but with no real threat to his voice. The addressed one blushed. He took a look around. All his friends were there, even Rock Lee and Gaara. What surprised him most of all though was to see Neji being present, though the boy's clouded eyes suggested that he was far away with his thoughts. Him being there was probably a result of being dragged there by Tenten who sat next to him. 

Naruto spun the bottle. It landed on Gaara who sat opposite to him. “Truth or dare?”, the blonde boy asked. “Truth.” “Hm, Gaara, what motivated you to get that tattoo on your forehead?” The red-haired boy angrily narrowed his eyes at Naruto. “I am a lovely person, that's what.” The other boy didn't look impressed. “Probably not the most truthful answer, but I'll let it slide because I do value my life”, Naruto decided and handed Gaara the bottle who spun it straight away. It landed on Neji. He still looked like he was somewhere else completely. Tenten poked him gently. “Neji, it's your turn”, she whispered. The long-haired turned to her, the smallest hint of astonishment adorning his features which he concealed quickly. “Who said I would play?”, he hissed at her, but turned his body towards the other teenagers slowly. His apathetic eyes flickered over the persons that were present as if he hadn't been aware of their presence previously. They landed on Naruto and lingered there for a second sending shivers down the blonde's body because of the intense way in which they captured his own blue ones. 

“Truth or dare, Neji?”, asked Gaara, slight annoyance audible in his voice because he wanted to get his turn over with. “Truth.” “Doesn't Naruto get on your nerves?” Naruto knew this question was to get back at him a little for asking about Gaara's tattoo which was a very intimate thing for the red-haired boy as Naruto very well knew. At the same time he was interested in what Neji would answer. Said boy flicked his eyes over to Naruto for only a split second before focusing on Gaara again. “Can I pick dare after all?” Naruto looked at him questioningly, he thought the answer would have been a definite yes, but his not wanting to answer left the possibility that Neji wasn't actually too bothered by the other boy. But that couldn't be, right? He was always so dismissive of everything Naruto did. For example when he sent Naruto the text message telling him to leave Neji alone. 

“Sure. I dare you to drink this bottle of wine. Or you can still answer the question.” Gaara actually smirked then. Neji would probably refuse and answer the question instead since he had never drunk anything around them. To his – and the other teenagers – surprise the dark-haired boy grabbed the wine bottle Gaara was holding out to him. “You don't have to drink all of it immediately, but it has to be empty by the end of the game”, the red-haired boy told Neji who warily eyed the bottle filled with alcohol before holding it to his lips, lifting it and taking a sip. The others cheered him on, excited at the prospect of seeing the usually very closed-off boy drunk and maybe open up a little more. Tenten watched him carefully. For as long as she had known him he had never really drunk anything alcoholic so this was going to be interesting, but she would keep an eye on him as well so she'd be able to save him in case it became too much. 

“Okay, Neji, it's your turn to spin the bottle”, Kiba reminded the Hyuuga who then complied with the task. The bottle slowed down and landed on Naruto. “Truth or dare?” “Truth.” “Do you have a crush on Neji?”, shouted Temari from behind Gaara. A few of the others laughed and voiced their agreement to having the question answered; Neji himself just looked slightly bewildered by it as though he couldn't understand why they would ask that. “Where did you get the symbol?”, he asked instead. The teenagers surrounding him looked disappointed and confused. They didn't know what he was talking about. Naruto stared at Neji with an intensity that make up for their disinterest though. When had he seen the symbol on Naruto's stomach? He hadn't tried to keep it hidden, but had also never shown it to anyone, but Sasuke. “I-”, he started, but couldn't speak, still looking at the other boy dumbfoundedly, “It was an accident.” Neji raised his eyes from the bottle to study Naruto's face carefully as if he was allowing himself an illegal action. “Okay.” 

They continued playing, Sakura asking Naruto repeatedly what Neji had been talking about, but he shut her down with a dismissive wave of his hand. Sasuke, sensing the discomfort of his childhood friend and being the only one to know about the symbol, dragged Sakura over to the buffet which managed to distract her pretty quickly because of how drunk she already was. 

Gaara's watchful eyes kept track of the wine bottle which was being emptied by the Hyuuga slowly, but surely. When he was nearing the bottom of the bottle Neji's face lost a little of its guardedness and started being a bit more expressive. 

After having to witness a kiss between Choji and Ino and a peeing contest between Kiba and his dog the group decided to end the game for the night. Some stayed seated, talking animatedly to their friends, others left for their rooms to go to sleep. 

Naruto who had already drunk a few beers by then to get over his shock about Neji's attentiveness and attention to details laid in the grass. “Naruto”, whispered a voice close to his ear, “Go talk to him, he's drunk. This could be your chance.” It was Sasuke who was holding up a drunk Sakura and had an unusually serious facial expression while telling his friend to get a move on.  
Naruto jumped up immediately which caused him to sway; he hadn't known that the other boy was still there. He searched for Neji with his eyes and found him a few meters away, seated on a rock watching the lake. Tenten was nowhere to be seen. “Where's Tenten then, Sasuke?” “Lee convinced her that he would watch Neji and that she should go to sleep because she was tired from the drive. That's what I'll be doing as well actually, as soon as I have put Sakura in her bed. Night, Naruto, good luck.” Sasuke gave him a friendly pat on the back.


	5. Chapter 4, part 2

Naruto sat down on the ground next to Neji. The moonlight covered them both in its silver glow. Neji looked ethereal. His hair was open and the soft breeze was combing through it softly. The blonde boy almost felt as though he was in pain watching such beauty. He remembered Temari's words: “Do you have a crush on Neji?”. Did he? He had never thought about his sexuality that much, but he had to admit that he had been quite obsessed with the brown-haired boy the past year. Could you fall in love with someone without knowing them at all? 

“Naruto”, Neji's deep voice, hoarse from the alcohol cut through the comfortable silence, “Why is it that you're so persistent? I haven't been nice to you at all.” “I don't know. I just feel like you're worth getting to know. And I was angry at you for ignoring me.” Naruto wasn't sure how drunk Neji was, but he felt the other boy deserved the truth for having put up with Naruto's nagging for this long no matter how much he'd retained the next morning. Said boy closed his eyes as if reliving every time he had ignored the blonde before. Though Naruto was sure he didn't care enough to remember. 

“I don't know what to think, Naruto, you confuse me. I've never-”, he stopped mid-sentence, “Nevermind.” The blonde wanted to urge the other boy to continue, but couldn't bring himself to do it when he listened to the hardly audible vulnerability that colorized Neji's voice.   
Deciding to be a little bolder Naruto moved closer to the boy on the rock and, forcing his eyes to focus on the glistening surface of the lake, whispered what he considered to be a simple, but honest truth: “You're beautiful, Neji.” He wasn't sure if the other had heard him, but as he slowly turned his face towards him, he held his breath at how close the brunette had moved, his nose mere centimeters away from Naruto's own. So close he could feel Neji's warm breath softly caressing his face. Neji's pale eyes ghosted over his face in barely withheld wonder. “Naruto.” His voice was a whisper, not more than a breath imitating a word.   
How badly Naruto wanted to touch Neji's hair. To know if it really was as soft as it looked. He slowly extended his right hand. The other boy's eyes jerked over to the hand like those of a caged animal before he withdrew back onto the rock completely. “I should go to sleep”, he mumbled before getting up on unsteady legs. “Wait, let's go together, we're in the same room anyway.” Neji didn't protest so they silently made their way back to their shared room where the brunette disappeared into the bathroom immediately. 

Naruto laid down on his bed letting the conversation with Neji play in his mind over and over again. Underneath the arrogant behavior the other boy seemed to be quite insecure, so much that he was scared to reveal too much of himself even when drunk. Naruto couldn't wait to unravel all of the facets that made up Hyuuga Neji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I divided this chapter into two parts because I felt they belonged together, but that the second part was important enough to get its own chapter. I hope you like it :)


	6. Chapter 5, part 1

The next day Neji seemed to have forgotten the events of the previous day. That or he just ignored it, had a hangover or it wasn't important to him; Naruto couldn't tell. He just knew that the brown-haired teenager seemed to avoid him even more than usually. Sasuke and Sakura told him he was probably just overanalizing it, that Neji probably needed some time to recover from their talk – and the alcohol – and that if he really did avoid Naruto there was nothing to be done about it for now and he wouldn't do himself any good if he worried about it the whole time. “You've been chasing after him this whole time, now that he's finally taken a step in your direction you should give him a little space and actually let him come to you”, Sakura advised him. Naruto supposed she was right and tried to distract himself by hanging out with his friends.

The others had been in the area before so they showed him around, bringing him to their favorite places. For the evening they had planned a picnic close to the river Naruto had visited before. The blonde then made the decision that – if he saw it again – he would bring Neji a small branch of the lilac he had found the previous day. 

“Naruto, come sit down or Choji will eat everything by himself!”, Sakura said, laughing at the food-loving boy who was already eyeing the brought sandwiches greedily. The blonde boy laughed as well and sat down, banning Neji from his thoughts.  
The food was spread on the blanket and everyone helped themselves to some fruits and sandwiches. Kiba then opened a few bottles of some alcohol-mixture and handed them around. Naruto decided it would be a great idea to get drunk and emptied his first bottle as quickly as possible. “Hey, guys, what about making a campfire?”, Ino asked excitedly. The others voiced their agreement and started collecting a little firewood. Someone found a lighter in their pocket handing it to Shikamaru who then proceeded to start the fire. 

The fire created a great atmosphere and was especially nice to look at once it got dark. Sakura and Ino started taking photos with everyone. They had this weirdly close friendship when they were drunk. 

Naruto had now downed his sixth bottle of whatever it was that Kiba had mixed. “Sakura, do you think mom and dad would be proud of me?”, he asked his friend when she came over to take a photo with him. She looked at him, sadness in her eyes at the subject. Naruto looked at her, pupils wide, eyes boring into hers expectantly. “Naruto, do you remember my twelfth birthday? I wanted to prove to Sasuke that I was braver than Ino and tried jumping over the river, but I didn't make it and fell in. I couldn't swim at that time. You jumped in immediately when you saw what had happened and dragged me back onto the shore. You probably saved my life back then. Your parents are proud of you, I'm sure.” Naruto's expression was thoughtful, but at the same time Sakura was sure that he was blushing. “Thanks, Sakura, I, I really appreciate that. I'm gonna take a walk, I'll be right back.” Then he smiled in a way that was very unlike him and got up leaving a slightly confused pink-haired girl behind. 

The air was warm and fresh. Naruto drunkenly made his way through the calm nature until he found a tree trunk to get seated upon. His thoughts were running around in circles focusing on the previous night. He'd been so close to Neji. Would that happen again? Did he want it to happen again? What would his parents have thought of it? Their noses had almost touched, he would have merely needed to lean a bit closer and – What was he thinking about? Did he really want to kiss Neji? Where had that idea come from? Now that it was there it somehow didn't leave. Naruto saw himself kissing Neji, putting their lips together gently and burying one of his hands in the other boy's long, soft hair to pull him closer. “Ah, I need to get a grip on myself”, Naruto said, covering his face in his hands. The other night it hadn't seemed that Neji was interested in him in that way at all; he had even avoided Naruto trying to touch him. Naruto shook his head. He was too drunk for this right now. “I should head back.” 

The blonde boy got up from the fallen tree on legs that were shakier than he had expected them to be. While he was trying to catch his balance his eyes landed on a plant that seemed familiar. It was the lilac.


	7. Chapter 5, part 2

When Naruto came back to the group he had a scratched knee, was limping and bled profusely from a wound in his stomach, but he was grinning widely and held a branch of the lilac in his hands. “Naruto, what happened?”, asked Shikamaru, shocked by his friend's physical condition. “Ha ha, I'm fine, just fell off a tree”, Naruto said, “I managed to get this though, it's for-” He stopped, looking at the blossom-covered stick, almost as though he was confused about his own action. “Naruto? Are you okay?” Sakura's voice seemed to tear Naruto's attention away from the branch. “I think so, I'm just … not sure about what I'm doing.” “He's drunk”, Kiba said, “I'll bring him back to our room in the hostel and then I'll come back here. Neji is probably there, so he won't be alone.” The other teenagers gave Kiba relieved smiles and fell back into their conversations, but still threw concerned glances at Naruto. 

“Let's go, Naruto”, Kiba said, hanging the other's arm over his shoulder and with that pulling him into the direction of the hostel. 

There were still a lot of people hanging around outside the hostel that greeted the returning boys, occasionally laughing at Naruto's disheveled state who only responded with a drunken grin. 

“Okay, we're here, Naruto, I don't know if Neji's back already, but I'm trusting you to be able to take care of yourself from here on out?” “Yeah, yeah, I'm actually not that drunk, Kiba, thanks for your help. I'm just going to get ready for bed and then lie down and sleep”, Naruto smiled, silently hoping that he was convincing enough for his friend to leave him alone with his wounds and thoughts or – what would be even better – with Neji. Fortunately Kiba seemed very eager to get back to the others and didn't question his blonde friend any further. “Take care, call me if you need anything”, he said before giving Naruto a brief hug and then leaving the room. 

“Ah fuck.” Naruto put down the lilac branch on Choji's bed and then carefully limping his way into the bathroom. His stomach hurt, his knee not as much, but it was still an unpleasant feeling. With a pained, choked noise he pulled his shirt over his head to examine the damage. “Shit. I'm never getting that blood out again.” But as he examined his stomach wound he realized there were more pressing matters than his t-shirt. The wound was still bleeding and reached from his solar plexus to his lower abdomen. He had accidentally rammed a small branch into his abdomen while sliding down the big tree which he had climbed up to get a branch of the lilac. The sharp pain had caused him to let go off the tree and fall down. The blonde's left foot had taken most of the fall and made an unhealthy crunching noise upon its impact with the ground. 

“Shit, fuck, why is it still bleeding?” With shaking hands Naruto reached out to touch his stomach, but immediately recoiled at the stinging pain spreading through him when he came into contact with the injury. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He closed his eyes, breathing heavily. Because he felt himself become lightheaded he put his hands on both sides of the sink to ground himself. 

“Will you stop swearing already? And come out of the bathroom, other people need to use it as well”, a monotone, lightly annoyed sounding voice chimed in from behind Naruto. The blonde looked up. “Don't come in. This isn't pretty”, Naruto tried to chase away the other male. The other's voice made his head spin even more, but in a different way than the blood loss did. He was slowly starting to feel nauseous though with the red liquid still leaving and dripping down his body.

“Naruto?”, the voice returned, colored with something akin to concern. The blonde tried to collect himself. “If you see Neji, tell him I brought him flowers, they are on ... Choji's bed, I think.” “Naruto, it's me”, the pleasant voice seemed to be coming closer. Naruto hadn't even heard the bathroom door open over the sound of his own heart beating way too loud and pumping his blood through his body.   
Naruto slowly reopened his eyes and turned his head to the side to look at the intruder. “I told you not to-” His voice broke off when he looked in the unusually expressive face of Neji. For the brown-haired teenager who normally didn't let anything show on his face he looked positively terrified at the sight that he had walked in upon. “Neji, I brought you flowers”, Naruto smiled at the other boy, “I fell off a tree though.” “Are you an idiot? Why would you get yourself this hurt just for flowers?”, the brunette whispered. “I'm not sure, I just – they reminded me of you.” For a second he thought Neji looked weirdly touched by his statement, but then the world shifted and he collapsed, losing consciousness before he had even touched the floor.


	8. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little shorter because it contains a scene that's closed in itself, I hope you'll enjoy it anway ^^

Naruto's eyes opened to a dark room. He was lying on a bed. His abdomen still hurt, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Carefully he started heaving himself up to inspect his wounds, but a hand pressed him back down firmly. “I took care of your injuries. I bandaged them with what was left in the first aid kit in the bathroom, but I don't know if that was enough. If I was you I'd have them looked at in a hospital.” It was Neji. Naruto was surprised that the other boy had cared enough to look after him and would have blushed at the prospect of the brown-haired boy carrying him into bed hadn't he just lost too much of his blood to do so. He wanted to thank the brunette, ask him why he had helped him in the first place, but instead he opened his mouth and uttered: “I hope you liked the flower.” The other boy narrowed his eyes at him disbelievingly, looking like he wanted to say something, but then deciding not to, merely shaking his head. With his left hand he offered a bottle of – what Naruto assumed to be – water. “Drink something, I'll go to sleep now.” The brown-haired boy's voice sounded slighlty warmer than usual. That might have been the alcohol that was still circulating through the blonde's body though. Neji waited until Naruto had taken the bottle, then turned around and walked over to his bed, sitting down with a barely concealed exhaustion tugging on his shoulders. 

There was an uncomfortable silence in the air as Neji who – as Naruto noticed just then – was already wearing his pajamas laid down on his bed. “Thanks, Neji. I'm sorry for troubling you.” The other boy only answered with an acknowledging hum. Naruto supposed he should let his savior sleep. He had no idea how late it had gotten, though the others didn't seem to be back yet. 

“Neji?” “Naruto, let me sleep, whatever it is that you want to say, say it tomorrow.” Fair enough. Naruto assumed he had strained the other's patience enough for the day as it was and decided on going to sleep as well. He closed his eyes, fatigue catching up with him and pulling him down like an anchor into a more or less peaceful sleep.


	9. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter ;) I have a lot of ideas for the story at the moment. Let me know when you find any mistakes or if you have any ideas!

Naruto awoke the next day to sun rays tickling his face. Unlike the other day where Neji had left the room before anyone else had woken up, he was now still fast asleep in his bed that was about two meters away from Naruto's. The blonde boy felt guilty looking at the others sleeping figure. The only reason he was so tired was that Naruto had been an idiot, drank too and had gotten himself hurt. Carefully the blonde sat up, fighting down a pained noise.

As quietly as possible he got up from the bed, intent on letting Neji sleep. The boy really deserved it. Naruto wasn't sure how he could repay the other, but letting him rest seemed like a good enough place to start at as any other. However he couldn't help himself from moving towards the brunette's bed to take a closer look at the boy's face. The tight lines his expression usually showed had relaxed completely leaving only the angelic face that he tried hiding behind his steely mask of arrogance and disinterest. Naruto wondered where that mask had originated from. 

Getting a little bolder because the other boy still looked deeply asleep the blonde teenager reached out with his hand, brushing strands of the others hair out of said boy's calm face. The maroon hair was soft and thick, framing the pale face in between like a dark halo. 

Breakfast was mostly empty for most of the students weren't able to get up at seven after staying up until the sun rose again. Naruto sat down at a table, placing a plate filled with several kinds of dishes in front of him. He had only started digging into his food when he felt someone sit down next to him. “Morning, Naruto!” It was Sakura. “Morning. Since when do you get up this early? Anything interesting happen after I left yesterday?”, Naruto asked. “Hm, I don't think you missed out on a lot. How was it with Neji?”, she retorted, winking at him. Naruto looked at her for a second before suddenly realizing why his friends hadn't come back to the room. “Oh my god, Sakura, are you kidding me? Were you guys trying to set us up?” She only grinned. “Well? Did something happen?” How much should he tell her? She'd probably notice if he lied to her anyway. “Yeah, somehow, I guess. He helped me to bandage my wound.” He hoped that was vague enough not to make her worry about him. It obviously wasn't for she looked worried immediately. “Oh, I completely forgot! How bad is it?” “I'll be fine, it's just a scratch.” Sakura looked at him, not convinced. “Please, let us know if there is anything we can do for you.” He nodded, smiling at her. “I will, thanks, Sakura. I appreciate it.” Both of them went back to eating their breakfast, Naruto deep in thought about what his friends could have aimed for by leaving him alone with Neji. Did they also think that he had a crush on the brunette?


	10. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, I hope you like it! Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas I could build into the story. 
> 
> Have a nice day! :)

The rest of the trip was filled with spontaneous excursions and bonding games planned and held by the teachers that included everyone and cut their free time short. Naruto didn't complain though as he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be alone with his thoughts at the moment. Neji had gone back to ignoring him, but Naruto had seen him eye the lilac branch and then cautiously place it inside his suitcase when he had thought the blonde to be asleep. Naruto's heart had sped up at the sight, a warm, foreign feeling rushing through him. 

The last evening arrived faster than anyone would have liked it to. Naruto and his friends had decided that they wanted to enjoy their last evening by playing a few games, talking and just generally spending time in each other's company.

They were packing their bags so they would be able to sleep longer the next day for they intended on having a good – and probably long – evening with their group of friends. Neji who had already packed his suitcase earlier that day, sat on his bed with his nose peacefully buried in a book. Occasionally Naruto threw a glance over to the brunette. Should he ask Neji if he wanted to join them? 

Once Naruto was finished with packing he let out a relieved sigh and stretched his back before sitting down on his bed. “Neji?”, he began, waiting for a sign that showed him the other was paying attention before continuing, “We, that's me, Sasuke, Sakura and the others, wanted to enjoy the last evening together by playing a few games, would you like to come and join us? There will be no alcohol involved this time, I promise.” The last sentence was meant as a silent apology for he still didn't know if Neji regretted the talk they had had when the brunette had been drunk on the first evening of the trip and it had technically been Naruto's fault that the other had had to drink in the first place. Said person was still looking at his book. 

“Is Tenten coming?” The question as innocent as it was asked because Neji didn't have a reason to spend an evening with a bunch of random strangers, still pierced Naruto's heart in a painful way. Why did she need to be there? Was he not good enough? If Neji wanted to do something with her he could have thought of that earlier, couldn't he? The blonde paused his train of thought. What was this feeling? It almost felt like that time when he had found out that Sasuke and Sakura had gone on a holiday together without inviting him. It felt like jealousy. What business did he have being jealous? Who was he even jealous of?

“I don't know, someone might have invited her”, he said vaguely, trying to keep his inner turmoil at bay. Then because he was a good person and – as it seemed – a little masochistic for his own proposition made his insides clench in an unknown icy feeling, he said: “You could always call her or we could go pick her up if you'd feel more comfortable about hanging out with us then.” He had stopped looking at brown-haired boy and instead focused on the door, silence spreading out between them. 

“It's not that.” The blonde's head turned quickly to focus back on Neji. “What do you mean?”, he asked, feeling his insides unfreeze slightly. The other teenager seemed to be battling himself internally. Finally, in a small whisper so quiet Naruto had almost missed it, he muttered:“It's not uncomfortable.”


	11. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back with a new chapter! It took a while because some personal things happened, but seeing that people have commented on this story and seem to enjoy it really motivated me a whole lot, so thank you so much for the kudos and the comments! :) I hope you all have an awesome day and enjoy this chapter!

Naruto's friends had already gone ahead since Neji had wanted to put on some different clothes before heading outside. Naruto was practically buzzing with happiness at the prospect of the other boy spending the evening with them. 

The two boys walked peacefully to the location the others were at. They didn't talk, but it wasn't unpleasant. For once even the blonde didn't feel the need to fill the silence with unnecessary small talk. Soon they reached their destination and Naruto greeted his friends happily. “Now that Beauty and the Beast have finally decided to grace us with their presence we can start”, Kiba said ironically, giving Naruto a grin that showed off his sharp canine teeth, “Don't get me wrong, Neji, you're not the Beast.” Neji only rolled his eyes which kind of made it seem like he was getting used to the banter of Naruto's friends. Said blonde jokingly raised his fist towards the boy with the dog. “Kiba!” The others laughed. “Come on, sit down, we want to start already”, Sakura said appeasing the blue-eyed boy making space for the two boys in their circle. Naruto sat down on the ground next to her immediately with Neji following suit. The blonde boy had to repress an excited smile. “Let's start!”

The group started out with a few rounds of “Cards Against Humanity” which everyone really enjoyed. Well, Neji looked as disinterested as always, but Naruto was sure he'd seen the corners of the other's mouth twitch a few times. Then Shikamaru said another round would be too boring for him since he knew all of the cards by heart now. “You know what?”, Ino said with an evil grin, “I certainly have some unanswered questions from when we last played truth or dare. So, let's do that again.” Most of the others voiced their agreement, some others just staying quiet because they themselves didn't have a better game in mind. “Do we need a bottle or will we just let everyone answer some things?”, Ino asked. “Let's do it without a bottle, it's more fun if everyone gets the same amount of questions or dares and everyone is involved in the process of forming a question or making up a dare. Naruto you'll start, truth or dare?”

“Dare.” He wasn't about to repeat the same mistake he had made the last time they played. If he had chosen truth they probably would have started asking uncomfortable questions about the way he felt towards Neji and he himself wasn't sure how he felt about the other boy yet. 

„Okay, Naruto, why don't you tell everyone how you injured yourself while we were on this trip?“, Sakura said with an evil glint in her eyes. „Sakura, why are you so mean, have you been hanging around Sasuke too much?“ „Oi“, the black-haired boy exclaimed, „I'm never mean.“ “Shh, Sasuke, Naruto wants to answer the question!”, Ino laughingly said which brought everyone's attention back to said boy who started blushing furiously. “Can I still change to truth?” “Naruto”, Sakura deadpanned. A frustrated growl left the blonde boys mouth before he mumbled something incoherent. “What was that?” Sakura had a smirk on her face, not wanting to let Naruto off the hook. “I, I wanted to get some flowers for Neji.” His answer was greeted with a round of amused laughter and cheers, making Naruto blush even more so that he resorted to hiding his face in his hands. 

When he resurfaced the others had continued with the game. “Neji, truth or dare?” “Truth.” “Did you like the flowers Naruto gave you?”, Kiba asked after having discussed the question with the others. Neji didn't answer immediately, almost as if he was embarrassed. If he was he caught himself quickly though and responded: “I will admit I thought it to be a thoughtful gesture.” Once again cheers. “Neji, are you blushing?”, teased Ino. “Come on, he already answered your question, Shikamaru's next”, Naruto defended the brown-haired boy. 

The game lasted for a few more hours until there were no more questions to be asked and no more dares to be done. “Well, guys, I guess it's time to finish for the day, I hope everyone had fun”, Sakura brightly ended the evening causing the other teenagers to applaud and voice their gratitude. After saying goodbye most people started going back to the hostel to finish packing up or to take a shower. “Naruto, we'll be heading back to the room, see you there”, Sasuke said, leaving his friend behind with Neji. 

“Hey, uh, Neji, you wanna head back as well?”, Naruto asked, not wanting to head back at all. The other boy shook his head. “You could show me where you got those flowers instead”, he answered quietly with a peaceful facial expression. “Yeah sure!”


	12. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Motivation has returned so here is another short chapter. It's the last one of them being on the school trip so stay excited for what is to come! I wish all of you an awesome day, enjoy! :)

It was already dark outside. Naruto led Neji towards the waterfall he'd visited before. “It should be somewhere here”, the blonde boy said, his eyes searching for the lilac. He let out a delighted noise when he spotted it framed by a few other trees, illuminated slightly by the moon. “There!” Naruto pointed in direction of the plant. Neji followed his navigation and walked closer, inspecting the lilac closely. “Why did you even climb another tree, you could have easily reached the flowers without doing that.” A nervous chuckle escaped the addressed boy. “I was drunk and thought that to be a good idea.” 

The brown-haired boy slowly reached out, touching the currently closed blossoms of the lilac. The other boy followed, standing next to him. If Naruto trusted his intuition and the little he could see in the darkness he could have sworn that Neji smiled. “The flowers just reminded me of you, I think.” Naruto noticed the soft aroma of the flower mixing with the unique scent of cleanness that came from the long-haired teen. Without meaning to he found himself breathing it in deeply. “Naruto. You always manage to surprise me. In a good way.” With that being said the dark-haired teenager threw an indecipherable look in Naruto's direction before he turned away from the other, his hair following his movement swiftly and started his way back to the hostel without looking behind him again. 

Naruto just stood there, stunned into placed for a few minutes, his thoughts doing somersaults in his mind. Neji had looked different just then, right? Just a little more beautiful than usual? That wasn't just his imagination, was it? And he had to know what perfume the other boy used that smelled so good that Naruto just wanted to bury his nose in it. “Maybe”, he thought, “Maybe the others were right. About me being in love with Neji. But what if I am? I am sure he'd never feel the same way.” Before he could get lost in a spiral of negative thoughts though he decided to go back to the hostel.


	13. Chapter 11, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy, sorry that this took a while, I'm currently writing all my graduation exams :) Thank you for all of your nice feedback, I hope you'll continue to enjoy this story! 
> 
> Btw, this chapter is - once again - a little short, the second part will be a longer chapter again because things finally start heating up a lil, so stay tuned for that within the next few days ;) 
> 
> Have a lovely day and enjoy this short chapter!

After the trip school came back around. Naruto wasn't really able to focus though; he was filled with conflicting emotions: On one hand he felt that he had reached his goal of getting closer to Neji, on the other hand he didn't know how to handle the weird, unknown feeling he now faced that made his heart speed up when looking upon the other. 

It had been a while since Naruto had texted Neji. When he did again it was, for the first ever, with an actual reason. Their biology group project had to be finished soon and Naruto wanted to know when they would be able to meet up or stay late after school to prepare their presentation. After the trip Naruto had been, and yes, he was ashamed to admit it to himself, too embarrassed to talk to the other boy. He didn't know what Neji thought of him now and since they seemed to have established some kind of connection during their stay at the hostel Naruto didn't know whether he would be able to handle it if Neji just went back to ignoring him the way he did before. 

Neji responded, probably because it was a school related topic, with a time and date followed by his address. That was what Naruto had expected. What he hadn't expected was the third message which read “Ah, sorry, you already know where I live, don't you?”. It referred to one of Naruto's previous texts that he had sent while passing by Neji's house and seemed to be mocking him. The blonde boy blushed simultaneously honored that the other boy had read and remembered his messages and ashamed because of what he had written. He had only been so free with what he was writing because he had wanted to get Neji's attention and when that hadn't worked he hadn't expected the other to even read through his messages. “Ah, how can I even face him now?”, Naruto whined. It had somehow felt different before Neji and he had had an actual conversation, it had felt less real.

School passed by quickly that week, filled with Naruto glancing into Neji's direction way too often and blushing furiously if the other boy caught him doing so. 

When the weekend came around so did the day Naruto and Neji would meet up. The blonde boy was practically overflowing with nervous excitement. He was unsure what to expect and even though he felt that he shouldn't get his hopes up, he couldn't help, but to be filled with an unusual happiness. His brain tried to remind him that it was only for a school project and additionally Neji's family would probably be home. Meeting someone's family for the first time especially when you didn't know how their relationship to the person you're visiting is and how much they might have told them about you. When he talked to Sakura and Sasuke about his worries, the latter one only rolled his eyes and the pink-haired girl answered him with a few reassuring words that didn't really manage to calm the other teenagers nerves, but were appreciated nonetheless. 

 

Saturday. Naruto was at the Hyuuga residence way too early. He figured that he'd just wait a little until it was actually an appropriate time to arrive. While he was waiting his eyes scanned over the large mansion. One of the reasons he'd never tried visiting Neji after school before was because the boy's or rather his parents' house was so intimidating with it's big white building surrounded by an enormous garden and a high fence. The blonde had thought to himself that it wasn't worth the trouble seeing that he presumably wouldn't even have been able to get in at all. 

The plan of just waiting outside was interrupted when his mobile phone vibrated in his pocket. With a practiced movement he slid the phone out of his pants, pressed the 'accept call' button and held the device up to his ear without looking at the name of the caller. “Hello?”, he answered. “Hello. As amusing as it is to have you stand outside and marvel at the house if you're here early we can use that time to get started on our presentation.” Naruto almost dropped his phone when he heard the brunette's voice, but reminded himself of the fact that the other was apparently watching him right at this moment. “I, I, yeah, you're right, can you come open the gate?” The teenager could have hit himself for how insecure he sounded, but he couldn't help it. The situation itself already made him agitated enough and hearing the other's voice for the first time since the school trip didn't help with calming down at all. 

“I'll be down in a minute.” With that Neji hung up, leaving a high-strung Naruto standing in front of his front gate.


	14. Chapter 11, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, a new chapter has actually happened ^^ I'm sorry it took this long, I'm finally through with graduation and all my exams and have a lot of free time on my hands now, so there will be more and quicker updates in the future because this story is still very important to me :) I hope you can forgive the long wait and enjoy this chapter! I think this is a longer chapter than the others, but I might be wrong ^^

It didn't take long for Neji to arrive and let the other boy in. “Hey”, Naruto greeted, a little breathless at the sight the other made. He was wearing a thin white robe and his long hair was artfully braided on the top of his head with only a few strands hanging down to frame his face.   
“Are you done staring?”, Neji interrupted his train of thought. It sounded amused. “Ah, y-yes, sorry.” Naruto awkwardly scratched his neck. “Come on in then.” 

They entered through the big gate and then, to Naruto's unvoiced excitement, finally set foot into the house. Especially after recent events it was an indescribable feeling to be inside of Neji's home. It smelled just as clean as the boy himself and was very spacious with comparably little furniture. 

“My room is upstairs. Shall I get us something to drink or do you want to head right up?” Neji looked at Naruto who was still taking in the house. “Eh, I'd say we get started right away, we can still get something later if we need it”, Naruto answered. 

Neji's room was just as pristine as the rest of the building with white and gray being the most dominating colors. Well, Naruto couldn't ever invite Neji into his messy room now. Why was he even planning to invite the other boy already? Whatever. Now was not the right time to deal with this. 

“You can sit wherever you like”, Neji began, waiting until Naruto had sat down on his bed before continuing, “I think we should start preparing a basic presentation, create an outline and then decide who deals with what topic. If you have any preferences, let me know, I don't mind any of the topics.” He then grabbed his laptop from his desk and sat down next to Naruto on the bed who tried his best not to blush at the close proximity and instead focus on the task at hand. 

They proceeded just as Neji had said and after an hour they had their basic presentation finished. “Let's take a small break, please”, Naruto begged, “My brain is starting to hurt.” The look Neji gave him in response was nothing short of skeptical. “We've only been working for about an hour.” “Exactly what I'm talking about. One hour!”   
Neji sighed. “Well, then. I'm guessing I won't get anything out of you while you're feeling exhausted anyway. I'm going to get us something to drink. Is tea okay with you?” Naruto nodded, happy about being able to relax.”I'll be back in a second, don't break anything.” Once again Naruto wasn't sure whether the other was joking or not because Neji didn't show any emotion in his expression. 

As soon as the other had left Naruto's eyes started wandering through the room. There seemed to be very few personal belongings. There were two bookshelves that were completely filled with what appeared to be mostly non-fiction. Next there was a desk with a small lamp on it and a chair in front of it.   
Naruto got up, looking out of a big window that took up a whole wall. He could see the gate he'd waited in front of earlier. He continued watching their beautiful garden which Neji had a perfect view upon. 

When he sat back down his eyes caught something that was – unlike the rest of the house – colorful. A light purple. Before he could examine it more closely the door opened and Neji re-entered the room. “Here.” He handed Naruto a cup of green tea. “Thanks.” 

The brunette sat down next to Naruto, taking a sip of his own cup. “Neji, can I ask you something?” Neji's pale eyes darted to him immediately. “I'm sure you're gonna ask anyways, but go ahead.” His tone of voice was a mixture of curiosity and caution. “I was wondering, why your room is so empty? Like, there is mostly school related stuff in here. No photos of friends. Doesn't it feel kind of lonely?” 

Silence followed Naruto's words. He was worried the question might have been too personal, but then again Neji had had to endure his antics for over a year and would surely let him know if he had gone too far. Then, as Naruto already started regretting his words, a small whisper broke through the quiet. “My parents don't want me to focus on anything but school.” Neji's voice was very thin as he said it, but Naruto felt the weight of the words nonetheless. It seemed, he had a lot to apologize for. Neji hadn't ignored him because he was rude, but because he didn't want to disappoint his parents or maybe even because he didn't want to be punished?

“What would they do if you did put something in here that is not related to school?” Neji shuddered slightly. “I've tried it before once or twice when Tenten gave me birthday presents. It's … never ended well.” Naruto's thoughts reverted back to the purple something he had taken a glimpse of earlier. Was that another try of Neji's to keep something that was dear to him? 

Naruto tried to think of something to lighten the mood again as the whole topic seemed to have made the other feel bad. “Eh, you know what? I keep on asking you uncomfortable questions the whole time. It's your turn now. Anything you wanna know about me? And don't be afraid to hurt my feelings, I've a heart made of steel.” Naruto gave himself a mental pat on the back when the other boy's face lit up a little. “Really anything?” Naruto nodded in agreement, a little surprised that the other really did have questions. 

“Okay then. Why would you go so far as to hurt yourself just to get me some flowers?” Well, so much to Naruto's heart of steel which was currently speeding up in his chest so quickly that he could feel himself blush. He could feel Neji's eyes on him, but he hadn't expected the question and wasn't even finished figuring out the answer for himself, so he couldn't meet the other's expectant gaze. After a few seconds of silence Neji spoke again. “It was just because you were drunk, right? A drunk mistake?”, he asked, his voice smooth and calming, but holding a certain amount of uncertainty, “Please, be honest with me.” 

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing so he lifted his head and saw Neji's eyes shining with something one could almost describe as hope. But what was he hoping for? Did he want Naruto to say it was a mistake or was he possibly hoping for Naruto to say something else? But what was that something else? Naruto didn't even know what to call it himself. He promised to be honest though so that's exactly what he told the other boy. “I don't know, just, you make me feel different, I don't know how to describe it.” Then he averted his gaze again, feeling a little insecure about opening up about his feelings while he didn't know how Neji felt at all. 

He only looked back up when he felt the bed move. Neji had moved closer to him, his intense gaze fixed on Naruto's face. “Naruto, I”, he started out, moving even closer, his body turned towards Naruto, until they were breathing the same air. Naruto slowly lifted one of his hands, wanting to touch the other, but unsure if it would break the moment. “Naruto, can I, can you, please”, the other boy continued, not able to find the proper phrasing for what he wanted. Naruto had never seen the other boy lose his usual composure before. “Hey, it's okay, tell me what you need”, Naruto answered, trying to be calming even though his own heart was pounding like he had just ran a marathon because of the implications of Neji's words and their close proximity. He allowed himself to lift his hand up to Neji's back trying for a comforting gesture. He didn't expect the quiet gasp that left Neji's lips in return. “Please, Naruto.” Was he really asking for what Naruto thought he was asking for? His suspicions were only confirmed when he found the other's eyes focused on his lips. God, did he want to kiss the other. His body started trembling at the tension-filled atmosphere that surrounded the both of them.

“What do you want, Neji? Tell me.” He needed an explicit confirmation that the other boy wanted this just as much as him before he did anything. Neji shifted uncomfortably next to him, but didn't move away and instead put his hands on Naruto's shoulders. “Please, k-kiss me.” The blush that spread on his face after speaking his wishes aloud actually rivaled Naruto's and the blonde found himself cooing internally at the sight. To make sure Neji knew he wanted this too, he let his hand wander from the other's back to his neck and pulled him closer until their lips finally touched. 

The touch sent a spark throughout Naruto's whole body. Neji's lips were soft and warm on his. It felt so right that he pulled the other male in even closer and lifted his other hand to touch his hair carefully. Their lips moved slowly on each other, getting a first taste of what it was like to dive into their desires. Naruto's thoughts were running in circles equal parts amazement and confusion. Was he really kissing Neji? And what was he supposed to make of the fact that it felt this good? At the moment he just knew he felt incredibly good and he never wanted to stop. Neji's clean scent filled his nose and his body pressed into Naruto's. It made Naruto's stomach tingle and his hand tightened in Neji's hair causing him to moan into the kiss which had Naruto deepen the kiss, moving his lips more intensely on the other's who responded in kind. 

They parted from each other after what felt like an eternity, breathing heavily. Where did that leave them? Naruto only knew he wanted to do that again. Do more than kissing even. Neji was so beautiful, he would surely look even more gorgeous undressed. But at the same time Naruto wanted to go slow, figure out what he and Neji were feeling. 

Naruto could see Neji touching his lips with his fingers with a slightly dazed look on his face. “Are you okay?”, Naruto asked, voice small so as not to disturb the other who immediately looked up at him with a more awake expression. Before any further interaction could happen though there was a loud knock on the door and the boys jumped away from each other. “Mr. Hyuuga, your parents have arrived. They request for your presence for dinner”, a female voice informed. Naruto guessed it was one of the Hyuuga's servants even though he hadn't seen any upon entering the building. “Tell them I'll be there.” There was an affirmative answer and then the noise of steps disappearing. Neji let out a loud sigh, the magic of the moment gone, his insecurities neatly stored away by his usual neutral mask. And Naruto felt sorry for the other, realizing the other boy had to be used to hiding his normal self in order to please his parents. But at the moment there was nothing he could do for the other. Additionally he didn't even know if Neji wanted his help. 

“You should go home, we'll finish this some other time”, Neji said without looking at the other. Naruto tried not to feel hurt by the other's dismissal, knowing the other's situation, but he couldn't help the way his heart clenched. “Yeah, you're right”, Naruto responded and got up from the bed, “I'll see you in class, take care.” He waited, but the other neither replied nor got up to walk Naruto back to the front door, so he turned around and left the room and found his way back outside with the help of a servant.


End file.
